Ponderings and Updates and Recommends

The ThinkerX
BobLee
May08/ 2019

BL LOGOPonderings and Updates and Recommends

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As expected, there has been some on-line and off-line discussion about UNCCH hiring a coach who is “well… you know”..Courtney Banghart

It says something about our society circa 2019 that no one seemed SHOCKED by it…. Certainly not to any OMG… We Must Do Something…! level. The minimal SHOCK might be connected to a general indifference re: Girls’ Basketball.   My well-known apathy is shared by more than a few area fans.

There IS some concern about the $650,000 salary… relative to Anson Dorrance’s meager $180,000 which no one ever cared about until now. UNCCH’s commitment to having a nationally-competitive Girls’ Basketball program is “interesting”.  Not “troubling” at all… just “interesting”.

The FOS (Friends of Sylvia) faction may / may not support the new UNC WBB regime.   I’m sure UNCCH Officials will take that into account in their sports marketing plans.

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Before I forget… Congratulations to everyone connected to The Carolina Hurricanes. They are now in The Final Four of The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. I don’t follow The NHL or The Hurricanes, but success of a local sports enterprise is generally “a good thing” for any community. Community pride and an exaggerated sense of “Aren’t WE Special… etc”.

The last time The Hurricanes were a community “WE” was ten or so years ago when they actually won The Stanley Cup. Then they retreated into a “THEY” of mediocrity from whence they have now arisen at least for the time being.  Such is The Bandwagon Effect of Success by Arbitrary Association. Regardless… their core of dedicated fans deserve their current euphoria for their patience.

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Speaking of “sports fans”… My MLB team of choice – The St Louis Cardinals – fans tout themselves as BFIB – Best Fans In Baseball. They routinely fill Busch Stadium to 40,000 or so for 82 Home games and “their Cardinals” respond by being “in playoff contention” every year.

BFIBs is similar to UNCCH’s Kenanites pride in “someone once said Kenan was THE Most Beautiful Football Stadium… so it must surely be!”  “The Best…” accolades tend to be quite silly.

The Dodgers lead MLB cities in total attendance each year with around 3.5M. The Cardinals are usually in 2nd place with around 3.3M.  MLB attendance figures are a bit misleading as both Boston and Chicago (Cubs) play to capacity crowds but their stadiums don’t have as many seats as LA and St Louis.

The St Louis “BFIBs” probably deserve their self-praise for their propensity NOT to boo the opponents (except The Hated Cubs… and except Bryce Harper)… and not to boo their own team during prolonged “slumps”. … Those “BFIBs” DO have their share of braying galoots who interpret their 4th place standing in a local fantasy League as proof positive of their personal baseball acumen… far superior to the dedicated professionals whose careers are directly tied to the team’s on-field success.

Holding social media referendums on the team’s success/failure after each of 162 games quickly becomes tedious…  Alas, such is the case among braying galoots throughout “sports”… and other fields of human endeavor as well.

My increasing inability to tolerate “braying galoots” in all forums is on the rise… nearing epidemic levels… sigh.

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EUREKA! I have come to a significant life-altering revelation.

Until about ten years ago I traveled a great deal and was always searching for the perfect travel ensemble… luggage and attire. Specifically coats with lots of pockets.Jacket

Now my annual travel is down to 3-5 trips/year to Madison WI (or to “da beach”) and/or wherever fate and circumstance might beckon Twinkle, Scooter, Kid and Pastor Danny.

Those trips are 5-7 days and do not involve “dressing up” so one carry-on suitcase and “a personal bag” suffice. BUT… I was continuing to scour Amazon / Cabela’s / TravelSmith etc. for “the perfect travel jacket”. UNTIL I recently realized…

All I need, other than my wallet, is ONE accessible and secure pocket for my I-Phone X… PERIOD.

NOTE: I recently recommended PROPPERS.com for their selection of “Tactical shirts”. They have two vertical zippered chest pockets that are IDEAL for secured / easy access for my IPhone X.

I “read” constantly, of course, but “audibly” via Bluetooth headphones. I’m not toting around a hefty Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler or James Michener novel. My Audible.com App has a queue of dozens of “to be listened to” books. I also have Netflix and Amazon Prime Apps if I choose to watch a movie.

I no longer purchase newspapers or magazines. I have total access to “news” – faux and otherwise – via my I-Phone X. My headphones are either in-place or hanging around my neck. My boarding pass / hotel reservations et al are on my phone although I DO keep a printed copy on one sheet of paper.

I was carrying a backpack with a laptop and an array of charging devices and back-up headphones. That has been replaced with a smaller lighter I-Pad reducing the size of the backpack by 50% even including a toiletry kit.

This whole travel downsizing process has been quite “liberating”. I confess to still getting used to it. I’ve been converting – reasonably successfully – to a minimalist / no-clutter lifestyle for several years. I’m not all the way there yet but I’m getting there. It’s a very good thing!

As is my custom… I am NOT Pentecostal about this being what ALL OF YOU oughta do. YOU oughta do what suits YOU. But I do recommend continually re-evaluating WHY / HOW you do what you do for more convenient ways to do it.

Many of you are entrenched Life members of the “because I’ve always done IT this way and I’m too old (stubborn) to change now” Club.  Bully for you…

I view adapting to socio cultural changes in much the same way as “Conspiracy Theories”. 50% of Conspiracy Theories are, of course, bogus… But WHICH 50%.  Most of us simply reject the 50% that contradict our personal socio political POV. Not sure how one applies that litmus test to “how to pack for travel” but …

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BookCornerSeveral readers have mentioned their appreciation for my Book Recommends. If those make your daily life more enjoyable, I’m delighted to contribute.

Do keep in mind that I “listen” rather than “read”. With an Audible book the narrator is a critical component to the process. I will often go with a new author if the narrator is one I enjoy. Most successful authors stay with the same narrator as he/she becomes “the familiar voice” of the main character.

REMINDER: Audible books no longer involve cassettes or CDs. Books are all stored on your smartphone in MP3s … just like your ITunes music is. The downloading and playing is 99.999% simple / trouble-free. But I understand if “holding a real book” is important to you. … FWIW: I am nearing 1,000 in number of audiobooks I have read in the past eight years.

Check Out:
Author: Wayne StinnettSeries: Jessie McDermott’s Caribbean Adventures (18 books)
Jessie is a retired Marine Sniper who runs a charter fishing business “in the Keys” but does “off the books” assignments for Homeland Security… Uh Oh! … Sorta/kinda like John D. MacDonalds “Travis McGee” series. I assume everyone is familiar with Travis McGee…

Author: Gregg Hurwitz … Series: Evan Smoak / Orphan X (4 and counting)
Every literary agent for action/adventure writers claim “like Lee Child’s “Reacher” to attract Reacher fans. This one actually is… “Evan Smoak” is “a loner” who helps “those who need help and have no one to turn to”. Evan has access to all sorts of high-tech gadgets and has no hesitation in dispatching “bad guys”. His “workshop” in his high-rise LA condo is VERY cool ….

John Sandford has a new “Lucas Davenport” that “a good’un”… as they all are.

The 5th Season of Bosch is now on Amazon Prime.  I binged watched it while in Madison several weeks ago.  “Bosch” is as true to Michael Connelly’s “Harry Bosch” books as any Movie/TV adaptations has ever been.

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.A Lot More BobLeeSays Columns … LINK

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